Last Chance
by ClairvoyantMarauder
Summary: They say that a reader lives a thousand lives... But no one ever told Charlotte that when she died she would get to live another six. Unfortunately, those six didn't end well. And no one told her she would be expected to survive in a world she doesn't know. Well, seventh time's the charm right? Right? Rated T for language. SI/OC
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hello, everyone and welcome. Before we begin let me say that this is my first experience with any type of fanfiction - writing one, that is. So first off, thank you all for clicking on and giving this fic a read. I do hope you all enjoy it. Umm... oh, this is an SI, but that is probably obvious. Er, I'm not sure how frequent updates will be. SIs are notorious for being difficult to write, figuring out what to change if anything, and figuring out how to keep true to the story and characters can be hard. Even harder is writing a fic where the SI knows absolutely nothing about the world she/he is in. I'm going to have to figure out a way to keep my OP knowledge from leaking into Charlotte when she's not supposed to know every little thing._

So, strap in and hold on tight ladies and gents. I hope you all enjoy Charlotte's story. Also, I DO NOT own One Piece.

 **PROLOGUE**

"Please... just give me one more chance! I know I can make a difference."

" **You've said that the last _six_ chances I gave you.**"

"I know, I know, but I know that this time will be it!"

" **Every chance I give you is a chance that someone else could have at a second life.** "

"This will be the one, I can _feel_ it. I know that this world, this life, will be different from the rest."

" **... You have wasted six lives... for your sake, you better hope that this will be the one. After all the other worlds you managed to mess up -** "

"You can't blame most of those on me. I mean, honestly, who on earth could survive the Attack on Titan universe? Anyone would have gotten eaten by a titan!"

" **And your excuse for Harry Potter?** "

"How was I supposed to know that those things were poisonous? I didn't learn about those in Care of Magical Creatures! That was completely the school's fault."

" **No, it was _your_ fault for thinking that was any sort of way to put the Death Eaters out of commission.**"

"Fine, but there is _no way_ you can blame me for what happened in the Walking Dead world."

" **... You got the entire group killed.** "

"Okay, so you can blame me."

" **And I don't even get me started on what you did in Fairy Tail.** "

"... I guess that Hogwarts motto had something right, eh? Never tickle a sleeping Dragon?"

An exasperated groan echoed through the white space surrounding the girl in question. " **And your excuse for what happened in HunterxHunter?** "

"How was I supposed to know he was an assassin?"

" **They warned you!** "

"... Oh yeah."

" **And we can't forget your blaze of glory in the Inuyasha world, now can we?** "

"That fire was an _accident_ , you disembodied, all knowing neanderthal!"

" _I can't believe the boss lets that girl talk to him that way..._ "

" _She's been around a loooong time, my friend. She spent years in each of those worlds. Normally its one chance and that's it... but the boss has a soft spot for tears._ "

" _Really? Is that how she's made it this far?"_

" **This is your last chance. I mean it this time, Charlotte.** "

"Sure thing, bud."

" **Do not call me - ugh, you know what? Go ahead. After this I won't be seeing you again. I take it you know the rules?** "

"Mmhmm, yeah. Rule one, don't screw things up too much -"

" _Little late for that."_

 _"_ Silence from the peanut gallery!" Charlotte snapped. "Don't you lazy lumps have other souls who died tragically to harass?"

" **Charlotte.** "

The girl cleared her throat uncomfortably, turning her grey eyes upwards in the direction that the voice was echoing from. "Sorry, sorry. Ah... rule number two, try to fit in. Make friends. And remember, if you can stay alive for the story we know, then you get to live out your life in that world. Right?"

" **And rule number three?** "

"You have to try to make a difference."

" **The key word is _try._ The last few times you tried too hard. Not everything can be changed, Charlotte. It's all about finding the ripples that can be changed and shaped to make the world better rather than worse. Your visions - **"

"Anyway I can trade those in for a less annoying gift?"

" **I know that they can be... overbearing, but they will guide you and help you and your friends in times of need.** "

"Okay... I'm ready then, I guess," Charlotte took a deep breath. "Well, it was nice remembering all of you guys while I could, I suppose. So, where is it off to this time? Sailor Moon? Oooh, how about Blue Exorcist. Warrior cats? That would be cool. I could totally kick Tigerstar's ass and steal all of Firestar's glory. Ooh! Dragon Ball! Send me to Dragon Ball!"

" **You knew all the other worlds you went to, and it did not seem to help you at all. So this time, we will be sending you to one you know nothing about.** "

"Whoa, wait a second, that was not part of the deal!"

" **Goodbye, Charlotte Sinclair. And just a warning? Should you come across any strange fruits, eat one. In this world, the typical strength of normal people levels at around extraordinary and extends higher up to demon and monster level strength. Eating one may be your only chance.** "

"Strange fruit? What the hell kind of place are you crazy assholes sending me to?"

" **Hell** **.** "

"... Well shit, that's reassuring." Charlotte ran a hand through her long black locks. "Fine. Fine. Where's the damn door?"

" **Door? Oh no. This time you're taking the express route.** "

"What express - shit! FUCK YOU, BUD!"

" **Enjoy your flight, madame.** "

" _Bet you twenty bucks that she dies within a month."_

 _" A month? Nah, I give her all the way up to the separation. She'll die without them all there to protect her."_

" **... Fifty says she dies during Arlong.** "

" _Boss! You can't take part in the pot! That's just shameful!"_

 _"_ **WHY YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE INSECTS-** "


	2. BRIEF MOMENTS IN TIME

_A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back to the official first chapter of this story. First things first, review answers._

 _BlueAutumn12: Hello, thank you for the review! I'm glad you thought this was a unique way of starting off the story. As for Charlotte's access to past information... well, she does know that this isn't the first life she's lived, and she can remember bits and pieces, but it's sort of like trying to remember a dream, where sometimes the details are foggy and then you'll randomly remember something. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it so far._

 _Shion Lee: Thank you for your review! And I certainly will. :)_

 _MonochromeJoker29: Ahh! well I'm glad you've found a fic that you're so sure you're going to enjoy. I do plan to continue it, as you can tell from there being a new chapter haha. I'm going to do everything I can to keep it interesting and to keep Charlotte from becoming cliche or sue-ish._

 _Thanks to Glassdrop, neo gen x, Arvas13, FahmiWasHere, Harkawa Ayame, rock legend 166, sdkop21, zecran, MonochromeJoker29, Brie45, 204shipper, Parfois, Sc0ttSpencer, Taiski, 2, MangaFreak3, agnesmaria120, jammylee, ShionLee, RiverSong456, Copykat2, CrystalSeker, 4311001134, Yveltan, KurosuPoison, TheLoneAce, Seiren Miyuki, GlenSmecker, and Aishh for either adding this story to their alerts or to their favorites._

 _Sorry this took so long to crank out, but guess which poor unfortunate soul has been sick since Thanksgiving? That's right, me. First it was allergy crap, then strep throat, and now? A freaking chest cold. Also doesn't help that I finally bought a switch and have been playing Breath of the Wild pretty much nonstop..._

 _Questions: if you guys could have ANY devil fruit power (currently existing or made up),_

 _What would it be?_

 _My Answer: A Zoan fruit - maybe a fox? It's kinda a toss up between fox and jaguar. Anyway, onto this chapter. If the chapter title is any indication, this chapter is small snippets of Charlotte's life growing up. Next chapter is where the real story begins!_

 **CHILDHOOD ARC**

 **CHAPTER ONE: Brief Moments in Time**

 _ **Charlotte, Age 7**_

For as long as Charlotte could remember she had always been able to see things that she shouldn't - know things she shouldn't know without having been there to live through the events that she loved to babble on about to anyone who would listen. Most dismissed it as the pointless babble of a child who was still stuck in the imaginary friend phase of life. After all, how else could a young noble girl who had never left her island before come up with stories like the ones she spouted?

Stories of a young orphan girl raised by a former marine, or of a boy who was dedicating himself to learning three sword style fighting? Tales of a young man famous in his home town for being a liar, or stories of a girl forced to always flee for her life after yet another person stabbed her in the back?

Fanciful tales of fun loving, music obsessed pirates, who all died tragically save for one who was kept alive only due to a devil fruit. Or the story of a young boy in a straw hat and the two brothers he bonded with not through blood ties but the strong loyalty they shared with one another. They couldn't possibly be more than stories made up by a bored little girl with no friends to call her own.

The villagers saw her as a minor annoyance, one to be ignored. Her parents hardly ever saw her and easily waved off the concerns of others, sure that she would get over this phase soon. Her older sisters and older brother all thought that she was a freak of nature and often called her a little witch girl whenever she would speak of bad things that would happen. They gave little to no thought to tales spun about reincarnation and previous lives that she had supposedly lived. But Charlotte always knew the truth, this world wasn't her first life, or her second or third, she was only a couple shy from double digits and the idea unnerved her. But she didn't let the nerves change her from the happy, cheerful girl that bounced around, talking about amazing machines and technology one minute and flipping to tales of magic and schools for witches and wizards.

It didn't bother her that no one believed, because she knew the truth and in the end that was all that mattered to her. The thoughts of these small minded Nobles and the stiff, formal attitudes of the townspeople didn't bother her. She had her friends - even if she hadn't met them yet. She could feel it in her bones that they would all be together some day. Maybe not soon, but the day was coming.

"Charlotte."

"Lottie."

"LADY CHARLOTTE!"

Jerking from her train of thought, Charlotte was only just able to keep herself from crashing face first into a tree.

"You okay, Lady Charlotte?"

"Mmhm, I'm fine, Koga," Charlotte replied breezily, waving off his concern.

The boy's twin sister scoffed. "I wouldn't call nearly walking into a tree fine, Lottie."

"Mari!" Koga hissed. "Don't speak to Lady Charlotte so casually!"

Charlotte's shoulders hunched. "S'fine. I like when Mari calls me Lottie."

"Just don't do it around Dad," Koga warned his sister, green eyes sharp with warning.

"Whatever," Mari snorted, flicking long brown hair over her shoulder. "I'm not scared of Dad."

"You should be," Koga muttered. "And show some respect - he's a Marine Captain."

Charlotte groaned. "Oh, now you've done it, Mari. He's about to rant about how amazing the Marines are again."

Koga's face turned an angry red and he looked about ready to blow before Mari changed the subject.

"So what had you so distracted?"

"Luffy."

The twins both perked up - they had heard that name from their friends mouth many times, but she hardly ever elaborated on much of anything about the boy or the other names she so frequently muttered.

"What about him?"

"I was just thinking about some of the things he's done in the past," Charlotte sighed. "I dunno, he just... he has this thing... this urge that makes him feel like he needs to fix people. It's like he sees someone who's in pain or hurting and he sees right through it to the person they really are. He looks at them and decides that they need a friend - and that friend is going to be him. And the strange thing is that it _works_."

"What do you mean _'fix people'"_ Koga asked.

"Well... take Luffy's brothers for example," Charlotte began. "When Luffy's grandpa dumped him with the mountain bandits and he met Ace, it was very clear that Ace hated him. I remember wondering how a ten year old boy could have so much hate in their body, but as time went on, it became clear why. His whole life people have told him he's a monster, a mistake, that he shouldn't have been born, that he should die... he has every single right to hate the world and every person in it who draws breath."

The twins exchanged a glance, obviously uncomfortable with Charlotte agreeing with the boy who hated the world.

"But Luffy took one look at Ace and decided that he was going to be that angry boy's friend no matter what. Even when Ace did everything to scare Luffy off, he still never gave up. And now? Ace and Sabo... they love him so much, are so protective of their baby brother... it's amazing how one person can inspire such a change in two people."

"It's not that amazing," Koga argued. "People will go to extreme lengths to protect those who are precious to them. If Luffy is one of the few people to have ever shown Ace kindness, then it's not surprising that Ace is super defensive of him. As for this Sabo, Im sure the reasons are similar."

"Thank you."

The twins blinked in surprise. "What for?" They chorused

"For not telling me to shut up about my _imaginary friends_."

"They're real to you," Koga shrugged. "That's all that should matter."

Charlotte laughed. "You're good friends."

The twins shared a look, and Charlotte tried to ignore it because they all knew the truth - they weren't friends, not really. They spent time with her because it was expected of them by their father and that was that.

 **XxXxXxXx**

 _Fire was everywhere. She could feel the flames and the heat licking at her skin, the smoke choking her every breath. She could make out the two hazy shapes in front of her as they fled for their lives. At first, she couldn't pin who the two people were. It wasn't until they burst into a small fire free spot that she finally recognized Ace and a crying Luffy._

 _But this was wrong. **Everything about this scene was wrong!** Why were Ace and Luffy trapped alone in this fire? Where was Dadan and the bandits? Where were the Gray Terminal residents? Where was **Sabo**? Who had done this? And why? Why would anyone burn down Gray Terminal?_

 _And then an image began to form in her mind - an ugly, ostentatious ship was sailing towards Goa Kingdom. And even though Charlotte couldn't see the man on board, a shiver went up her spine. Celestial Dragons. Truly one of the most despicable beings that had ever graced the earth. It made sense now, why the trash heap was burning._

 _But it didn't explain Sabo. Where was he? Charlotte tried to focus her vision, to redirect it away from the fire and the Celestial and focus on the cheerful blonde. But all that she could find when she searched his future was flames, and pain. So much pain - his face! His face felt like it was on fire!_

 _Then nothing but **darkness.**_

"No!" Charlotte's scream tore from her throat as she jolted upright in her bed. "No, nonono... Luffy. Oh gods, Luffy, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

No one came to comfort her cries, but it didn't surprise the girl.

She was used to dealing with the nightmares alone. She had been alone when she dreamed of Ohara being wiped off the map at the tender age of four. She'd been alone when she saw Kuina's death - and the death of Usopp's mother. By the time she had dreamed of what happened to Brook, Charlotte had known better than to wake any of her siblings for comfort, it would only end in a rough shove and shouting. When the dream of Franky being hit by the sea train occurred, Charlotte had simply curled up in her bed and muffled her cries into her pillow. Despite knowing that her future friends would be okay, it didn't stop that traumatic feeling of hopelessness that she felt from being unable to help them.

And now Luffy was going to lose Sabo. Or had already lost him. Charlotte still had trouble placing the timing of events she saw in her visions to the timing of the real world. Right now, winter was still in full swing, but there hadn't been any signs of what the season was in the vision of fire.

She was useless, once again.

 **XxXxXxXx**

 ** _Charlotte, Age 9_**

The laugh would haunt her forever

 _ **Shahahaha!**_

The beady eyes, the saw-like nose, the sharp teeth of the saw shark fishman. Arlong would forever haunt Charlotte's dreams and sometimes she would hear his laughter when she was awake, too.

But what haunted her most that the eerie noise of a single gunshot and the terrified, grief filled cries of two little girls as they watched their mother fall to the ground with a gunshot wound in her head.

Charlotte groaned, burying her face further into her arms as she fought back tears. Watching the death of Bellemere had been hard, but not as hard as seeing what happened to Nami as she was dragged away by the Fishmen, when they forcibly put that tattoo on her arm to mark her as a member of their crew.

"Lady Charlotte?"

"Go away, Koga."

"Lady Charlotte, why are you crying?" Koga questioned firmly, stepping forward to rest his hand on her shoulder.

Charlotte sniffled and lifted her head to look at the boy, now sixteen years old and looking rather spiffy in his marine uniform. "She's dead."

Koga stiffened, before roughly grabbing her shoulders. "Who?"

"Bellemere," Charlotte rubbed at her eyes. "Nami's mother. They - she... Arlong attacked their island, he made them all pay money to stay alive and Bellemere... she only had enough to pay for Nami and Nojiko, So Arlong killed her right in front of them."

A loud, frustrated sigh came from the boy. "Damnit, Charlotte, you're going to be ten soon, don't you think it's about time you knock it off with these stories?"

"They're not stories!" Charlotte argued heatedly. "It really happened! Saw Tooth Arlong killed Belemere! The Nobles of Goa Kingdom burned Gray Terminal to the ground, not caring about the innocent lives they would be wiping out. An entire island was wiped off the face of the map just because a _little girl_ learned how to read an ancient language!"

"Enough of your nonsense, Lady Charlotte!" Koga snarled. "For years we've all put up with it, but now it is time for you to _grow up."_

 _"Me?_ I'm not the one who's blind to the real evils in the world," Charlotte scoffed. "At the end of the day, it's not as black and white as Pirates and Marines. I don't know who I'm more sorry for, you for not seeing that, or the world because you refuse to."

Roughly shrugging his hands off, she stood and wiped the dirt from from her dress. She stiffened when his hand closed around her wrist.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He demanded, green eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Let go." Charlotte's gray eyes flashed darkly, like storm clouds ready to blow. "I said unhand me, Seaman."

Spine stiffening, Koga released his hold. "Forgive me, Lady Charlotte."

Charlotte didn't know who she was more angry with - Koga or herself for using that same haughty noble tone that her parents and siblings were so fond of.

 **XxXxXxXx**

 ** _Charlotte, Age 13_**

"No."

"Oh, don't be so childish, Clair."

Charlotte glared at her brother. "Shut up, Toma, no one asked you."

"Little shit -"

"That is enough!" Mother's voice lashed out. "Sinclair, we have been over this. You are going to be meeting this boy - he's a possible future suitor of yours. His family are extremely well known in their town - why the Outlooks are -"

" _Hell no._ "

"Come now, Sinclair, Stelly is a very nice boy," her mother argued.

"He's not the one I have a problem with," Charlotte grumbled.

"Speak up, Clair, you know no one can hear your idiotic mumbling," Toma scoffed.

"Stupid people say what?" Charlotte muttered.

"What?" Toma scowled at the victorious smirk that spread over his sister's face. "Real mature. Mother, perhaps she's not ready for courting, not with her attitude."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you, playboy -"

"Mother!"

"Oh for the love of -" Charlotte snarled just as the doors slammed open and her eldest sister, Eliana, charged into the room, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.

"Eliana, what's wrong?"

"Everything! My dress, it's ruined! There's a giant red wine stain on it!" Eliana wailed. "You must get it fixed, Mother! There can be no other wedding dress."

 _Maybe if you didn't drink during the fitting, it wouldn't be stained._ Charlotte thought with a roll of her eyes. "I'm leaving, Mother, and the answer is still no."

"Wha - SINCLAIR! Get back here righ- oh, forget it. Eliana, dear? Show me this stain."

As Charlotte took her favorite shortcut through her father's trophy room, she fought to ignore all the things mounted to the wall - fishman heads, mermaid tails... but she did allow herself to stop before the locked case and stare at the two fruits inside. Her father kept them around for decoration, but he never came in here.

Would he notice if one went missing?

 **XxXxXxXx**

 ** _Charlotte, Age 16_**

Something was not right. That was all Charlotte could think as she wandered the silent halls of the manor. Even for being the middle of the night, it was eerily quiet in a way that Charlotte wasn't used to.

"Mother? Toma?" she called out hesitantly as she wandered into the the 'family room'. She didn't notice the figure in the chair until it spoke.

"It's odd, you know?"

"Koga?" Charlotte's hand went to her chest. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"All these years, I just thought you were crazy."

"What in the seven circles of hell are you talking about?"

"But then I got curious - and you'd be surprised at the kind of things you can find if you really dig," Koga leaned back in the chair, smirking. "An island wiped off the map. A trash heap burned to the ground. Tracking Saw Tooth Arlong's movements in the east."

Something cold settled in the pit of Charlotte's stomach. "You need to leave before I call the guards."

"You can't call a dead man," Koga retorted lightly. "Imagine my surprise when I realized that the annoying little girl who always went on and on about people I was sure didn't exist was telling the truth all along. And just image how surprised my superiors were when I told them."

"You didn't," Charlotte muttered. "There's no way."

"They were so pleased with it, I got promoted," Koga laughed. "Say hello to Warrant Officer Tanaka Koga. The Five Elder Stars were quite pleased to learn that we had stumbled across a seer. The only known one is some woman on Fishman Island, and they can't exactly convince her to help us."

"You can't convince me either," Charlotte narrowed her eyes furiously. "I'd rather die than help the corrupt World Government or the Marines. You can both go rot in hell."

"You think you have a choice?" Koga smirked. "You have nothing left. No guards, no family - the World Government ordered them all killed. And you'll be coming with us, whether you like it or not."

"Killed... because of me?" Charlotte had no love for her family, but she hadn't wanted them dead.

"Of course, we couldn't be sure of what they knew," Koga waved his hand carelessly. "You babbled about your visions to everyone who would listen. Thankfully, most thought you crazy, but we couldn't be sure you hadn't mentioned the Goa Kingdom incident. Better safe than sorry, you understand."

She didn't. She would never understand what drive the government to kill innocents. She didn't want to understand.

"Now then, let's talk about what is expected of you, Lady Charlotte..."

 _Luffy, help me..._


	3. WINDS OF CHANGE

_A/N: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the next chapter! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Now, the review replies._

 _Shion Lee: Yes, Koga has his head stuck so far up the World Government's ass, that it's ridiculous._

 _431101134: okay, I get why you are confused. But the simple reason that Koga calls her a little girl is because that's what she is to him. When she was nine, he was fifteen - So he's got a good six-ish almost seven years on her age wise. And he's known her her whole life and to him she's always just been that annoying little noble brat who he's forced to be around because his dad is a Marine and Marines serve Nobles and blah blah. He's basically just putting her down with the "I'm a grown man with a career and you're still just a little girl_ _playing make believe". Holy moly that's a lot of devil fruit ideas! Those are pretty creative, too._

 _Azurai Wolf: I'm glad you're enjoying it and yeah... Koga can have that affect on people._

 _Guest: Thank you._

 _treavellergirl: Don't worry, Koga may be smart... but he's not smart enough to start digging through names - especially when there could be numerous people in the world with the same names. Ace seems like it'd be a pretty common thing. But ... I gotta wonder how Garp ever planned for them to be Marines, to be honest, cause... hello? Back ground checks? *Sighs* Gramps wasn't the brightest._

 _Suzululu08: I would apologize... but I would be lying XD. I'm glad that you are liking Charlotte as a character so far. I only hope I can continue to keep the story up to everyone's standards and liking._

 _Thanks to **Cadell, Theinzmann111, Azurai Wolf, Kirino Tsuki, Fish57, Nameless Angel 00, Al890, Phantom0408, komaedass, SakuraDagger15, BloodWaltz, bvic, HeartlessNobody13, BlushLover930, LOORELIA3, treavellergirl, Jaci943 and Suzululu08** for adding_ _this story to their alerts and or favorites._

 _Question of the Day: What is your favorite WILD animal?_

 _ANSWER: my favorite wild animal is a cheetah._

 _ **EAST BLUE ARC**_

 _ **Chapter 2: Winds of Change**_

 _ **Charlotte, Age 17**_

 _ **Date: May 12 (7 days since Luffy left Dawn Island)**_

 **Most people would expect that the Pirate King would be this scarily powerful guy. And yeah, he was pretty powerful, but that was only a side his enemies saw. Those who knew the Pirate King also knew that he was an insufferable overgrown child with a fondness for tag and who had to be watched like a hawk lest he completely wipe out our food supplies. At the end of the day? He was so much more than just King of the Pirates. - excerpt from A NEW KING'S RISE, author unknown**

 _"In the faraway land of Ancient Greece, there was a golden age of powerful gods and extraordinary heroes. And the greatest and strongest of all these heroes was the mighty Hercules."_

The Marine sighed. "Lady Charlotte, please. Let's be serious here. What did you see in your vision?"

Charlotte gave the poor young seaman a twisted smile. "Oh, I am serious. This Hercules is quite powerful. He would be a fantastic ally to the World Government, if you can convince him, that is."

The young seaman sighed again, this one sounding much more long suffering. "Your tall tales are going to get you into trouble, My Lady."

"Hmm," Charlotte smirked. "Maybe. Think of it as my own little slice of revenge for being _trapped here against my will."_

The seaman gulped. "Don't take it out on me! Koga will have my head if you lie again."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I saw an island being attacked by pirates. I don't know when, but I do know that it was being led by Kuro."

"Kuro of a Thousand Plans?" The seaman jotted down what she said. "But wait... isn't he dead?"

"His first mate was a goddamn hypnotist," Charlotte pointed out. "Man, you Marines sure aren't very bright, are you? Some guy pops up claiming to be Kuro and you don't even verify? Check the wanted poster likeness, maybe question how some dipshit upstart caught a pirate who until then had been uncatchable?"

The seaman's shoulders hunched. "Well... I.. The..."

"Don't think too hard."

"I'll just... go tell Koga about all this."

"Bye bye," Charlotte said with a too sweet smile as the door closed behind him and locked from the outside. _The new kid makes it a little too easy to pick on him. I almost feel bad._

But only almost.

Standing Charlotte stretched and gave a small sigh at the pops that came from her back. "Oh, that felt nice. Now then... it's three thirty? So that'll give me about two hours before Koga comes storming in here demanding answers. So, I'll only have about an hour and a half to walk around town, gotta give myself enough time to get back. Okay, now focus... Picture yourself just disappearing from the world."

Closing her eyes, Charlotte took a few deep breaths and allowed her thoughts to flow out of her mind. She was as light as a feather, she let her body bend and flow like blades of grass in the wind. She felt a brief moment of weightlessness and then she was moving - a simple breeze slipping under the crack of the door.

Being aware of her surroundings while in this state was difficult, and she had suffered many failed outings over the last few months because she had gotten careless or overconfident while sneaking out. Once she had accidentally reappeared behind Koga as he was leaving to report in, and she had been unable to stop the groan of dismay that left her. He'd spent hours questioning her guards on how she escaped, but they didn't know. She had been more careful since that day, it wouldn't do for Koga or the others to learn about her devil fruit powers - especially when she couldn't control them completely.

 _Oh gods, why?!_ was Charlotte's only thought as her stomach revolted against her with a fury, causing her to lose what little lunch she had in her in the nearby bushes. _I wanted to get a little further away before solidifying again, damnit. But I suppose this will do..._

The walk to town from the manor was always a peaceful one, and Charlotte was able to enjoy the feel of the wind in her hair and the warmth of the sun. It was a beautiful day in mid May, not a cloud in sight and the town quiet and peaceful. The only problem with the quiet was that it gave her time to think. Her mind automatically drifted to Luffy.

She'd seen a vision only a few days ago of him setting off to the open sea in a tiny laughable boat. He'd been happy -

Cheerful. Something she hadn't seen much of after Sabo died and Ace set sail only a few years before. It had lifted her heart to see the smiles and the declarations for his departed brother to watch and see how strong he'd become.

But she hadn't had any visions of Luffy since then. Only some extremely confusing visions of a small island being attacked by Kuro and dreams of a man turning into sand. She had been unable to make much of the visions and whenever she tried to focus them directly on Luffy - something she hadn't done since she had forced herself to focus on Sabo - all she could see was tumultuous waves.

She wasn't sure if that was reassuring or worrisome so she settled for something in between. She would worry, but trust that her visions would warn her of any danger about to befall her friends. And wasn't it odd, she wondered, that she felt so close to and protective of people she had technically never met before?

So distracted as she was, Charlotte didn't even notice the glances and glares that followed her as she walked through town. But it was the whispered words that were harder to ignore.

 _Noble trash, who does she think she is? Strolling through town like she owns it._

 _Doesn't seem very upset for someone who's an orphan now. What is this world coming_ _to?_

 _All those Marines at the manor, no doubt there to protect her spoiled ass. What happened to the Marines serving the people?_

 _I don't want them,_ Charlotte thought fiercely even though her smile never faltered as her eyes wandered from shopping stall to shopping stall. _You can have your damned corrupt Marines back. I don't want anything to do with them!_

But she said none of this out loud, instead keeping her too cheerful smile in place as she walked up to a an extremely familiar stall and gave a genuine smile to the old woman who ran it.

"Hey, Grannny, got any new goods?"

The older woman laughed. "Every day without fail at four. You're nothing if not punctual, Lottie dear."

Charlotte's grin grew even wider. "Well of course. Gotta use these manners that were practically beaten into me, after all. So what're you working on?"

"What this?" Granny motioned to the concoction in front of her. "A medicinal syrup. A little bit of it every morning and night would help fight off allergies and sore throats."

Charlotte made a soft humming noise. "Does it taste like crap?"

A startled yelp tore from her throat when Granny smacked her hand with the journal that sat nearby. "Of course not! Honestly, Charlotte. What a thing to ask."

"It's not my fault that all kinds of medicines are notorious for being disgusting," she whined.

"Not the medicine from this stand," Granny retorted proudly. "I used honey to sweeten it and make it less bitter. Practically use it in everything. Bunch of babies can't handle when medicine tastes gross."

"M'not a baby," Charlotte mumbled. "Anyway, Gran, have you seen -"

"The boy with the straw hat has not been through town yet," Granny answered, knowing exactly what Charlotte was about to ask. "And I haven't seen any of the others you've described either - the green haired swordsman and the money hungry orange head. And no liar with a ridiculously long nose or blonde with curly eyebrows either."

Sighing, Charlotte laid her head on the stall counter. "I wish they would hurry."

"And exactly how do you plan to get away from your guards, hmm?" Granny wondered. "I don't think Koga would like his one shot at any future promotions to escape."

"I give absolutely zero shits about what Koga would like," Charlotte grinned when Granny snorted. "I just don't know what to do when they get here Gran. It's not like I can just walk up to Luffy and the others and be like 'Hey, this probably makes me sound insane, but I've had psychic visions of you guys and every future member of this crew ever since I was a small child, so let's be friends. Can I join you crew?'"

"... Probably best to word that a bit differently."

Charlotte's lips twitched into a smile. "Probably."

After bidding Granny goodbye, Charlotte continued on her walk through the town, ignoring the light headedness that was indicative of an incoming vision. She had grown used up the feeling, and she kept walking even as a flurry of images began to flash through her mind.

 _A small caravel with a sheep figurehead and a pirate skull donning a straw hat drawn on the flag and sails was approaching an unfamiliar island. But the the image flashed across her mind along with a word. Loguetown._

 _A marine chasing her down the street, his limbs turning to smoke. A swordswoman - also a marine- crossing blades with Zoro in the streets. A strange man with red markings on his face laughing as a large storm approaches._

 _A large whale was crying out in agony as it continued to ram its head into the large land mass known as the Red Line._

 _A strange looking man eating a cannonball. Huh._

 _A girl with pretty blue hair was crying and screaming as she stood in a tall tower - a clock tower - and watched the large group of people below battling against each other with everything they had in them. In the crowd, she could just barely make a familiar head of green hair and a blonde man in a nice suit._

"Jeez," Charlotte muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Who the hell eats cannonballs? What the fuck was that part even about?"

She didn't really have much time to ponder it - it was getting late and she needed to get phome before Koga barged in demanding more answers out of her and asking about any new visions.

She wondered what ridiculous story from previous lives she could convince him of next.

 **XxXxXxXx**

 **Date: May 16**

Something wasn't right.

Charlotte's brow furrowed as she sat up in bed, examining the room in the darkness. There was very little moonlight this night, but even she could tell that there was no light to be seen under the door. The guards always had that light on.

Quiet as a mouse, Charlotte shuffled the large duvet off and let her bare feet touch the cold tile floors. Creeping slowly in the direction of the door, she stopped and lowered herself to her knees and tried to peer under the door. Instead she found herself looking at what appeared to be a strip of metal that was hanging down from the outside of the door. Confused as to what it was there for - certainly not to keep out the light, as she had complained about it before and been ignored - she reached out to touch it with her finger tips.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The second her fingers came in contact with the metal, Charlotte felt weak and sick to her stomach. She yanked her hand back, eyes wide.

Just what the hell was this shit?

She stood angrily and reached for the doorknob, but was met with the same effect.

"Shit!" she hissed quietly.

It wasn't something she had ever paid attention to before but now that she looked closer, she realized that the doorknob on her door now looked differently from the bronze one that had been there before. It was darker in color and had Charlotte staring at it in disbelief. When would they have even changed it? Why did it make her feel weak and sick? Why did the sluggish feeling still linger even after she had let go?

"Fuck. Fuck fuck _fucking hell."_

They had to have changed when she was out. Which would mean that Koga had known she was sneaking out all along and was _letting_ her. And wasn't that a kick in the ass?Here Charlotte thought she had been smart and sneaky, but she had just screwed it all up again, in true Charlotte fashion.

Her hand slammed against the door. "I WANT TO SEE KOGA!"

She could practically sense the smirk of the guard on the other side. "As you command _Lady_ Charlotte."

It was a testament of her patience that Charlotte didn't go crazy in the forty minutes it took Koga to come to her. Which was ridiculous as she _knew_ he stayed in her parents old room.

Finally the lock clicked and the door opened.

"You wanted to see me, Lady Charlotte?" Koga asked, fighting back a smirk.

"Why?"

"Why?" Koga took a second to mull over his answer. "I'm afraid that maybe I've been too lenient with you, Lady Charlotte. We've shown you nothing but kindness in the time you've been our guest and yet you've abused that trust."

"You can try to pretty it up all you want to, Koga, but everyone here knows that I'm not a guest. I'm a _prisoner_."

"Do prisoners get to go on leisurely strolls through town?" Koga shot back. "The fact you've been able to do that proves you weren't a prisoner here, Charlotte. But those little liberties aren't something you just get to keep. You've been playing far too many games and the World Government is getting tired of your silly whims. Tales of half god heroes and that time you told us there was a mermaid who was extremely powerful who could speak to fish and control sea kings."

"Because they're true." _In fantasy land, asshole._

"No, I don't think so." Koga met her gaze evenly. "So until you decide to cooperate, I'm afraid your strolls will be nothing but a fond memory. Oh... And I hope you like the Sea Prism stone we've attached to the bottom of the door. Why, the blacksmith in town even forged you a nice new doorknob made of it."

 _Sea prism stone?_ Charlotte wondered with a small frown.

"Right, you've never been to the Grand Line," Koga teased. "So you wouldn't know about it. Sea prism stone is something harvested from the ocean floor. The stones has properties that drain devil fruit users of their energy and render them powerless. We use it for prison bars and handcuffs and such. It's quite useful for keeping your lot in check."

How the hell did he know about her powers?

"You can't do this."

"I can and I have. Maybe it will teach you some respect for your hosts, little Noble."

"Koga, please, _please."_

"Oh don't cry, Charlotte. It's unbecoming of one of your status." Koga turned on his heels and strode out, door closing behind him.

The lock clicked.

" _Koga!"_ Charlotte screamed, pounding on the door. "Let me out! You can't keep me in here! Please... please!"

She tried to stop the tears, but they flowed freely against her will until she was sobbing. She knew it was her fault. She had pushed her boundaries too far and now she was stuck here. Even if Luffy and the others showed up, the likelihood that she would be leaving this island plummeted.

She would be stuck here as a prisoner forever.

The thought made her start clawing at the door like some desperate, trapped animal. She cried and begged and pleaded, but the door still didn't open. She didn't stop until the stinging pain in her fingers got to be too much and she slid to her knees, nails broken and skin around her fingers bleeding.

The blood streaks on the white wood of the door told the story in a way she wasn't sure she ever would be able to.

 _Where are you, Luffy? I need help..._

 **XxXxXxXx**

 **Date: May 22**

"There's our next destination," Nami announced as an island appeared in the distance. "Shouldn't be too long. As long as the winds and current stay favorable, it shouldn't be more than half an hour."

"I'm hungry," Luffy whined. "Can't you make us go faster?"

"No," Nami answers unsympathetically.

It was no surprise to either Nami or Zoro when Luffy rushed off the second they hit land. His eyes wandered around, taking in the sights but also scanning for a food stand or restaurant.

"You there - Straw hat boy."

Luffy paused, eyes going to the old lady in the stall he was standing in front of. He wanted to keep on until he found food - but Ace and Makino had always said manners were important. It would be rude not to listen to the woman.

"Your name is Luffy, is it not?"

"Yeah... wait, how'd you know that, Granny? Are you a mind reader?"

The woman chuckled. "Oh no. I just happen to know a girl who knows you."

Luffy's brow furrowed in confusion. There was no way anyone from this island would know him.

"She's psychic, you see. Though she prefers the term seer or clairvoyant."

 _Psycho?_

"What's that?"

"It allows her to see visions of the past and the future," the woman explained.

Luffy was silent for a moment before grinning. "Oh, so it's a mystery power!"

"Um... not exactly..."

"So wait, if she knows my name then does that mean she's seen visions of me?" Luffy wondered, eyes sparkling in awe.

"Yes, many times ever since she was little," Granny smiled. "And not just you. She's had visions of the green haired boy and the angry orange haired one."

"Zoro and Nami, too? So cool!" Luffy grinned."Hey, Granny, where is this girl?"

"She lives there." Luffy followed the old woman's finger which was pointed towards a large mansion on a hill. It reminded him of the noble homes in High Town. "Her name is Charlotte Sinclair. She usually visits me every day, but she hasn't been by in a while."

Luffy hummed, catching the worried tone in the old woman's voice. But he wanted to meet this Sinclair girl, and ask her about her cool visions and what she knew.

 _As long as she doesn't tell me what happens with the crew and our adventure,_ Luffy thought firmly, adjusting his straw hat.

"Hey, Granny? Can Sinclair join my crew?"

Granny snorted. "Don't ask me, kid. That's something you should ask her."

"Shishishi! Yeah!"


	4. FREEDOM ON THE WAVES

_A/N: Hey everybody! We're back again with the third official chapter of LAST CHANCE._

 _I want to thank everyone for the response on this story - 33 faves and 54 follows, holy cheese. And thanks to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read and review. You guys are the best._

 _REVIEW REPLIES:_

 _Suzululu08: Ah, thank you. :) the dates are just as much understand the passage of time as well as help the reader. We really don't get travel times during One Piece so it's a constant guess as to how long it takes to get from one place to another. I think the closest we get is when Nami gets sick. (5 days then dead, she was on day 3 when they arrived at Drum?) aw! penguins are so adorable._

 _pizzalover123: Thanks for the review! Honestly I'm fine with long childhood arcs, but only as long as they build and add to the character. Charlotte, as a noble, didn't really have much of a childhood. Children that live that lavish life style simply don't get to be children. It's all studies and marrying someone of the right status, so I only touched on key points - her visions, her relationship with her family and Koga, her strong bond with the others even though she didn't actually know them, etc. *Whispers* Koga's my favorite Inuyasha character, by the way._

 _treavellergirl: oh it's very much hit and miss, and everything she sees is subject to change. It also depends on who's eyes she's seeing things from in the vision. Like how in a vision of the previous chapter she was being chased by Smoker. Well we know Luffy gets chased by Smoker in Loguetown - So was it her or Luffy who was being chased? Focusing her visions on a specific person can be difficult - which is why she's only done_ _it that once with Sabo, and the results were... mixed. All she could really feel was the excruciating pain he was in from the burns he was receiving. She didn't see anything solid to prove he lived, and now she tends to let the visions come when they please._

 _Guest: YES! ONWARDS WE GO!_

 _Thanks to **perseus96, name-chan, elina31, YatogamiKushina, chobits15, pizzafan123, booksarelife9, Artist Magician, Magic126, Dorisangel and** for adding this story to their alerts/and or favorites. _

_QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite dog breed?_

 _ANSWER: This is a tie between two - Siberian Husky and Standard Poodle, both of which I have owned and loved both breeds._

 _ **EAST BLUE ARC**_

 _ **CHAPTER 3: Freedom on the Waves**_

 ** _Charlotte, Age 17_**

 **Date: May 22**

" _When will my life begin?"_

Charlotte sighed and let the song trail off. She had been locked in this room for days now. Koga had even put bars on her window! A surly thought flashed through her mind before she could stop it.

 _Now I know how Harry felt._

A rush of guilt followed the thought immediately. That particular former life wasn't one she cared to think to hard about. She had tried so hard in that one, wanting to make things easier for Harry and the others who had all suffered so much. But in the end she had failed save anyone - even the one she had been most determined to save after they had gotten close. Much closer than she had ever been with anyone. It had been the only relationship she'd had in any of her lives, and it hadn't had a happy ending.

 _War. Death. Life and laughter draining out of his eyes. A deep seated need for revenge. They had to pay._ ** _She would make them pay. Why should they get to live, even if it would be miserable, locked away in Azkaban? He would never laugh again! He would never get to run through the rain! He would never get to spend another day with his family! He would never feel the breeze again. He would never... he would never... he would never... so why should they be able to? They shouldn't. She would make sure they wouldn't._**

She shook her head sharply. She couldn't let her thoughts drift to that former train of thought, it wouldn't do her any good.

"Lady Charlotte."

Pursing her lips, Charlotte stubbornly refused to meet Koga's gaze.

" _Lady Charlotte!"_

"What?" she snapped. "What do you want now?"

"You got an interesting letter today," Koga smirked. "From a boy named Stelly. Your betrothed, isn't he? Apparently his parents want to move up the wedding. He requests that you come to Dawn Island immediately for preparations."

"I'm not going."

"But that would be rude, Lady Charlotte," Koga scolded lightly. "Besides, a woman of your status can't stay unwed forever. It would make other Nobles think unfavorably of you."

"The other Nobles can go fuck themselves, I'm not marrying into that family after what they did."

"Ah, the Gray Terminal fire, correct?"

Charlotte stiffened.

"But surely you understand why it was done," Koga continued. "They couldn't let a Celestial Dragon see that enormous pile of trash. It would have been insulting."

Charlotte's lip curled.

"Don't turn your lip up at me," Koga warned. "Ah, and speaking of Gray Terminal and Dawn Island... isn't there where your friend Luffy is from?"

"I don't recall."

"So that's a yes."

"Koga, if you even touch him -"

"You'll what? Blow some hot air at me?" Koga smirked. "It may be a Logia, but your Breeze Breese fruit isn't really anything exceptional. Especially since you can't control it."

"It's probably not smart to push your luck against a Devil Fruit user."

"I think I'll manage. Besides it's nothing that some special cuffs won't fix."

 _Sea prism stone._

Who knew it was possible to hate an inanimate thing so much?

"Pack your bags, Lady Charlotte, we leave for Dawn Island in the morning. After all, it wouldn't do to keep your fiancée waiting, now would it?"

Something thumped against the door as it closed behind him.

"Throwing things?" he mused. "Such a feminine reaction, Lady Charlotte."

 **XxXxXxXx**

"Luffy, you can't just walk up to a Noble's mansion and ask them to join your crew."

"But Nami, she's psycho!"

"THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING!" _BONK!_

"Ow," Luffy whined. "Nami, that hurt!"

"I think he meant 'psychic'." A new voice added. "Which begs the question of how three strangers know about Lady Charlotte's gift."

The girl looked quite a bit older than them, especially if the toddler she was carrying was anything to go by. She had long brown hair and sharp green eyes that watched the three of them nervously.

"Who're you?" Luffy wondered.

"A straw hat..." the woman murmured. "So you're the friends she always spoke about. Luffy, Zoro and Nami."

Nami's eyes narrowed. "How do you know our names?"

"Because of Lottie - Lady Charlotte Sinclair," the woman replied. "She and I used to be... not friends, exactly, but we hung out together a lot when we were younger. Before."

"Before what?"

"Before her family was killed by the Marines."

Luffy's gaze flitted away from the woman to the mansion. So the girl he wanted to join his crew had lost someone, too.

"Her family wasn't perfect, but they were still her family. Even though they made her life hell and made her do things she didn't want, she would never have wanted them dead. But the government wants Lottie's gift, and the first step to that is making sure she has no one else to turn to. That she associates only with those they deem proper to help keep her in line. Those people include the Marines in this town and her fiancée in Dawn Island."

Luffy perked up a little. "Dawn Island?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. Her parents had arranged for her to marry some boy there years ago. His family is supposed some big thing on Dawn Island. The Outlooks. When she first learned of it, Lottie threw a fit. Said the boy was an idiot and his parents were heartless killers. Refused to have anything to do with it."

 _Outlook._ The name tickled something in the back of Luffy's mind, but he wasn't quite able to grasp it.

"So she's basically a prisoner," Nami spat.

"That's exactly what she is. So I'm sorry if you all wanted to meet her, but it's probably not going to happen."

Luffy simply smiled. "I want to ask her to join my crew."

The woman's eyes met his. "There's nothing she would love more. But the government would never let her go. They would probably fallen her to the depths of hell. Her foresight is too precious a gift for them to let it walk off and sail away."

"Chased by the Marines all the time?" Zoro mused. "Well, we're pirates. I don't see how Marines chasing us would make much of a difference."

Luffy sent his first mate an approving look.

"Now let's just think about this," Nami tried to reason.

"Nami," Luffy shook his head.

The navigator sighed. "Fine."

 **XxXxXxXx**

It started with what sounded like a loud explosion. The entire mansion shook with it and Charlotte could swear that she heard the sound of rubble scattering on the tile floor downstairs.

At first, all she felt was deep confusion. She slowly walked over to the wood door and pressed her ear against it, trying to focus on hearing what was going on over all the yelling.

" **Gum Gum Pistol**!"

Her breathing hitched as she tried to make sense of that sentence. He was here. Why was he here? How did he even know? The fighting and the shouting was overwhelming, but it couldn't stop the feeling of blossoming hope that was bubbling in her chest.

 _Luffy._

A clang that sounded suspiciously like swords colliding somewhere down the hall echoed through the building.

 _Zoro._

A scratching and clicking noise indicative of lock picks led to the slight twisting of the doorknob.

 _Nami._

All three of them were there. Charlotte could have cried in relief - was sure that she was. It would explain Nami's slightly panicked face when the door swung open. The orange haired girl hesitantly patted Charlotte's shoulder.

"It's all right," Nami soothed, glancing over her shoulder. "You won't be stuck here anymore. These Marines were of the wimpy variety."

" **Gum Gum Whip**!"

" **Onigiri**!"

 _They're overdoing it,_ both girls realized with a sweat drop.

"I don't understand," Charlotte said as Nami quickly threw some of the girls' clothes into a bag. "Nami, how did you guys know where to find me?"

"Some old lady recognized Luffy, told him about you," she explained hurriedly. "And in true Luffy fashion he decided he just _had_ to have you as a crew mate. And he doesn't take no for an answer. But you knew that already, didn't you?"

"Yes. I know that already."

"So do you really see visions and stuff?" Nami asked, shoving the bag in Charlotte's arms. "There's some clothes. Do you need anything else? Ooh, do you guys have expensive jewelry?"

"Um, yes, I do. No. And we're nobles, so what do you think?" Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "You can take whatever you want, but seeing as it's my stuff, it'll be split fifty fifty."

Nami's beri eyes disappeared. "Seventy/thirty."

"Fifty fifty."

"... Sixty/forty?"

"Nami."

The navigator let out a pained noise. "But..."

" _Nami._ "

Another explosion rocked the house, making both girls blink.

"Uh, you better hurry before Luffy breaks all the expensive valuables."

Charlotte had never seen someone move so fast. She took a moment to shake her head in amazement of Nami's money hungry drive before she slung the backpack with her clothes over her shoulder and hurried down the stairs. Marines laid everywhere, some knocked out, some severely injured. She couldn't find a single bit of sympathy inside herself for them.

"Luffy!" she shouted, catching sight of the straw hatted boy.

"Huh?" he knocked away another Marine before grinning. "Hi! You're Sinclair, right?"

Charlotte fought back the grimace. She would never get used to having her name flipped. In most of her previous lives, Sinclair had been her surname, and now it was her given name. Thankfully, the only good thing to come out of nobility, most people called her Lady Charlotte, or some variation of Charlotte - Charley or Lottie - and it had stopped being a concern of hers.

But somehow she didn't mind if the crew wanted to call her Sinclair. Though maybe she could talk them into doing just Clair.

"I am," she answered, realizing Luffy was still waiting.

He grinned. "Sin, join my crew!"

 _Sin?_ Charlotte wondered even as a smile found its way to her face. "Alright, Luffy. I'd be happy to."

"You're not going anywhere."

The two both turned to see Koga approaching.

"I'll admit, when I heard that the mansion was under attack, I didn't expect to find you running off to join the raiders, Lady Charlotte."

"I'm all about the unexpected, Koga."

"So I see." Koga's eyes shifted to Luffy, then up to his hat, before lips twitched into a smirk. "Finally, a face to put to a name. Luffy, is it not?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Luffy asked defensively. He had noticed the immediate tension that had entered Sin's body the second this guy showed up, and already Luffy found he didn't like the man. He was someone Sinclair wasn't comfortable around.

"Oh, nothing really," Koga said dismissively. "Just odd. I thought the kid Lady Charlotte thought so highly of would be a bit smarter than to rush into a place full of Marines."

 _Subtle isn't Luffy's style._

Luffy's eyes had narrowed. "Sin, who's this guy?"

"This is Warrant Officer Tanaka Koga," Charlotte answered. "He's the one who thought my gift was best suited to helping the World Government."

"Not that she's been much help. Spinning stories and sharing fake visions to throw us off track. Doing everything she can to make sure we don't take interest in certain people or crews by conveniently pointing us towards others like we won't notice." Koga's eyes darkened. "Did you think we wouldn't notice? So I guess the only question is who is it on these specific crews are you trying to protect?"

Charlotte stayed quiet, meeting Koga's stare with her own. Eventually the man sighed and shook his head.

"You won't be going anywhere, Lady Charlotte."

"Sin."

Charlotte's eyes shot to Luffy. "Yes, Captain?"

"Leave this jerk to me." Luffy ordered. "You, Zoro and Nami head for the boats. I'll meet you there."

"But..."

"Trust me."

So she did.

 **XxXxXxXx**

Charlotte didn't even know why she allowed herself to be worried. She had known that Luffy would be fine. Koga may have been intimidating and well versed in hand to hand combat, but the strength of a normal human would never compare to the boosted powers and strength of a Devil Fruit user.

She would never know what happened in the fight between Luffy and Koga that day, all she would know was that Luffy would return relatively unharmed save for a few shallow sword cuts. The boy would smile and remove his hat - his treasure- and place it on her head before grinning.

"Shishishishi," he laughed. "Nami! Set sail!"

The navigator smiled. "Alright. Next stop, Gecko Island."

Charlotte sucked in a quick breath. _Gecko Island. Usopp. Kaya._ **Kuro.** She let out a quiet groan of pain, fingers carding through her hair as she pressed her head into her hands as the image of the pirate butler tearing through friend and foe alike on that tiny strip of beach flashed through her mind.

"Are you alright?" Zoro asked curiously, cracking open an eye from where he was laying down on the other end of the small boat.

"Yeah," she croaked. "Head hurts. Visions."

Luffy straightened, dropping whatever conversation he was having with Nami. "Do they always hurt like that?"

"No. Usually it only hurts when I'm seeing an event of extreme danger."

Nami's voice wavered. " Should I change our course?"

"Stay the course, Nami," Luffy said before turning to Charlotte. "Sin, do the things in your visions always come true?"

"I don't know," she answered, picking at the hem of her shirt. "When I was younger, I mostly saw past events of people that I would become close to. Once I got a bit older, I started seeing things that would happen to them in the future. Some of them were awful, I was just a little kid, I couldn't stop any of it because everyone thought I was lying. Things like the Gray Terminal Fire were out of my control even though I _tried_ to warn people."

It was hard not to see the pain that flashed through Luffy's eyes when she mentioned Gray Termnal. "What do you see of the future?"

"Sometimes I see people we'll meet, or future enemies, but the thing is that everything is subject to change," Charlotte continued. "I'm hesitant to tell what I see because I have no idea how different things will become. I could end up messing up and getting someone hurt - or someone who would join the crew might _not,_ and there is _no way_ that can happen. I just..."

Luffy nodded. "Then it's easy. Just don't tell us what you see unless you think you really have to."

"You don't... want me to tell you about my visions?"

"Nope!" Luffy grinned. "Knowing what's coming would take the fun out of the adventure!"

It was such a Luffy answer and yet somehow it made her feel so relieved that tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Finally, for the first time in months, she was the thing that mattered to someone. Not her visions. Not the power that would come with knowing the future.

Her. Charlotte.

"Oh!" she stood quickly, startling the others. "I'm so sorry! I forgot my manners!" She bowed deeply. "My name is Charlotte Sinclair, thank you very much for helping me and allowing me to join your crew."

Zoro looked faintly amused. "Never heard of a pirate with manners."

She sent him a soft smirk. "Well, you see something new every day."

He laughed. "You'll fit in just fine."

"Of course she will!" Nami trilled happily, eyes turning to beri's. "Just look at how much money Clair made me!"

Charlotte cleared her throat expectantly.

"I mean us," Nami muttered dejectedly. "How much money she made us."

Luffy laughed. "Shishishi! I've never seen someone beat Nami at her own game, Sin! That's amazing."

 _Clair. Sin._ No one had ever given her any kind of nickname to do with her first name before. Charlotte had always been dismayed by how her name had abruptly been switched around in this life. But now, looking at her smiling friends, she knew it was something she would grow to love.

 _Sinclair,_ she thought with a smile.

Yes, she could definitely grow to love it.


	5. PREVIEW AND ANNOUNCEMENT

_A/N: Hello dear readers. I am sure you are all wondering where chapter four is. And I am sorry to tell you that it will be a couple of weeks yet before I manage to get it out. These past two weeks have been... awful. On the tenth of this month my family lost one of its most treasured members - my grandpa.A few days prior he had had a fall, and went to the hospital, but because of an influx of flu patients, he was sent home two days after with medications for some sort of infection he had. There was nothing worse than getting that phone call while I was at work.We had his funeral this past Tuesday, and his burial was delayed due to poor weather, so instead of it happening on Wednesday, it happened on Thursday. I've been writing a few sentences and words here and there since, trying to push through, but so far I haven't even hit a thousand words. I just wanted to get what is written out to you guys as a sort of 'preview' and to let you all know about the delay._

 _I hope to have it posted sometime in the start of February. Should anything change, I will find some way to let you all know. I have also adopted a couple of stories from another author from a different fandom, and I will be splitting my time between three works now as I try to flesh out all the plot notes and character notes she has sent me for those fics._

 _Until next time._

 _-ClairvoyantMarauder_

 **PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER FOUR: Enter Usopp**

 ** _Charlotte, Age 17_**

 **Date: May 24th**

" _And so Hercules bravely walked forward and threw himself into the waters of Hades' hell, determined to reach and save Meg before it was too late."_

Luffy was practically trembling with anticipation, eyes wide as he took in every detail of the story. It was odd, because most wouldn't think he would have the attention span to pay attention to long stories, but it was just about presenting the story in the correct way. Nami sat a little away from the boy on the other boat, but every now and then she would look up and sometimes ask questions about the story. Zoro was on the same boat as Sinclair, kicked back and laying down, but the lack of snores gave away that he was awake and also listening.

"Hercules could feel his energy and strength zapping away the further he swam down towards Meg's essence," Sinclair continued. "But he persevered, even though he could see the skin on his hands growing taut and liver spotted. In their own universe, the Fates were also watching, and they were readying his life string and their trusty scissors."

Luffy's breath hitched and he leaned forward excitedly. Nami paused in her money counting - the third time she had done so in the last two days - and Zoro cracked open an eye.

"The smallest Fate angled the scissors and _snap!_ There was a moment of silence and then... 'What's wrong with these scissors?' she asked in surprise. 'The string won't cut!' one of her sisters cried out. Meanwhile, Hades was just as surprised. A warm, golden glow had encompassed Hercules as he emerged from the water holding Meg's spirit."

Luffy cheered.

"'That's impossible!' Hades insisted. Because there was only one possible way Hercules would have survived... and that was if he was a God." Sinclair smiled as Luffy's eyes twinkled. "Hades' plan was never meant to succeed, because on that day so many years before... Hercules did not drink every last drop of the potion Pain and Panic had forced on him. After dispatching Hades on final time, trapping him in the pool with the dead, Hercules made his way back to where he had left Phil watching over Meg's body."

"Happy ending!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Shh, it's not done yet." Nami hit him over the head, causing him to whine.

"'Wonder boy,' Meg whispered softly. 'Why?' Hercules could do nothing but smile. 'Because people do crazy things... when they're in love'. The sky rumbled and a cloud appeared beneath the two, lifting them into the sky. Cheers filled the air, louder than Hercules had ever heard, and Mount Olympus came into view. The gods and goddesses had gathered there. It was finally time to welcome Hercules home."

Luffy let out a whine of dismay and Nami's brows furrowed. "But, Meg..." they both mumbled.

"Let her finish," Zoro grunted.

"Hercules was so happy," Sinclair continued. "He walked forward and greeted his birth mother for the first time in his life. He smiled as other gods and goddesses congratulated him. Meg didn't think he would see her sneaking away. But he did. Rushing down the stairs, he took her hand and looked up at his father, Zeus. 'A life without Meg... even an immortal life would be... empty. I wish to stay on earth, with her.' Hercules had finally found the place where he belonged. And even though he was leaving, his godly parents and the others were happy for him. Hermes called forth the Muses to put on one final performance."

"Another song?"

Sinclair laughed. "Yes, Luffy. One last song." What was with Luffy and music? It had taken Sinclair hours the other day to convince him that just because she had a nice singing voice, it didn't mean she was a musician. She couldn't play a single instrument is her life depended on it.

"It'll have to wait," Nami interrupted. "We're here."

"Aw," Luffy grumbled. But the sulking didn't last long, especially when he was being faced with a new island to explore. "A new island! I wonder what it's like?"

Sinclair smiled and teased, "Who knows?" drawing a laugh from the navigator and swordsman.


End file.
